Improved car-spring



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HORATIO N. BLACK, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF,WM. L. BOYER, AND HENRY K: BOYER, OF SAME PLACE.

lMPROVED-CAR-SPRING.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 50,41 5, dated October10, 1865.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HORATIO N. BLACK, of the city of Philadelphia, inthe State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement inSprings for Railroad-Oars; and I do hereby declare that the followingisafull, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being bad tothe accompanying drawings, making a part of this specificatiomin which-Figure l is avertical longitudinal section of one of the said improvedsprings; and Fig.2, a top or plan viewof the same, having the piston orbearer removed therefrom, like letters of reference indicating the sameparts when in both figures.

The object of myinvention is the production of a simple, durable, andeffective metallic spring for railroad-cars.

It consists, substantially, as hereinafter described and set forth, inthe combination and arrangement, within a metallic box provided with asuitable piston or bearer, of two series of plain flat iron or steelplates and of two series of corrugated iron or steel plates, each seriesbeing regularly curved, fitted together concentrically, and applied inthe box so that the two series of the said plain plates will togetherform what is called a full elliptic spring, each set of the said plainplates having its concave side opposite to that of the other, while thetwo sets of the said corrugated plates are respectively placedconcentrically upon or in contact with the two convex sides of the twosaid series of plain plates, the former being arranged so that theconvexities of one plate shall bear against the convexities of the nextadjoining plate in its series, and thus together form a multitude ofsmall, soealled elliptic springs, both above and below the two series ofthe plain plates, and act together in combination with the said plainplates, so as to produce increased elasticity and strength as acar-spring when the piston or bearer which rests upon the whole of themin the box is operated upon by the weight and motion of the car to whichit may have been applied.

In the drawings, A B is the box; 0 D, the

piston or bearer; E E, the two series of the.

plain iron or steel plates, and F F the two series of the corrugatediron or steel plates.

The box A B is of cast-iron, rectangular in form, and open at its upperside. The piston or bearer O D is also of cast-iron,rectangular in form,and fits so as to slide accurately and easily in the open side of thebox, as seen in Fig. 1. The plain plates E E are of iron orspring-steel, and are each cutof the size ofthe area of the interiorbottom of the box A B, and then bent into a uniform or regular curve, asseen in the same figure. The corrugated plates F F are also of iron orspring-steel, and are each cut of the same width as the plain plates EE, corrugated in the form shown, then cut into lengths which equal thelengths of the plain plates E E, and,finally,curvedto correspond withthe latter concentrically, as seen in the same figure.

In arranging and combining the differentlyformed plates in the boxA B, Itake a series of three or more of the plain plates E and place themtogether or concentrically, and in like manner I also place together thesame number of the plain plates E, and then apply the two seriestogether, with their concave sides next to each other, and place themupon a concentric series of twelve (more or less) of the corrugatedplates F, each plate thereof being also placed concentrically with theirsmall convexities in contact with each other, respectively, in thebottom of the box A B; and then I apply the series F of the corrugatedplates in the same concentric manner upon the upper series, E, of theplain plates, and finally insert the piston G D into the open side ofthe box, so that it will rest directly upon the crown of the upperseries, F, of the corrugated plates, as seen in the same figure, andthen I insert two or more stay-bolts, g g, fixedly in appropriate holespreviously made in the ends of the box, and so that they shall enterslots hh,'previously made in the piston O D, and serve the purpose ofpreventing the said piston and box from separating, and yet allow a freeup-anddown motion of the former in the latter.

The plates E E and F F are designed to be made of sufficient thicknessand temper to support the weight intended to be put upon the spring inuse; and it will be seen that a very durable and effective spring willbe produced by the combination, and that should the weight upon it be sogreat as under the motion of the car to close together the curves of thetwo sets of the plain spring-plates, and thus bring the whole of thedifferent series of the plates into general straight lines, thecorrugations in the plates F F will still remain and continue to affordsufficient elasticity in the spring to prevent the sudden hard blows orpoundings which oocurin carshavingotherelliptic springs when the latterare broughtinto straight parallel lines by the burden upon them. It willalso be seen that this spring is simple and easy of construction,and notliable to get easilyout of order in using it.

